Joint domination

Following the conclusion of the coastal race from Marseilles yesterday, today two windward-leewards each of roughly 8 miles were held off Port Camargue for the 32 boats.

The westerly wind started light at just 8 knots, but quickly built up to 20 knots kicking up a short chop.

Former Figaro winner Eric Drouglazet on David Oliver is proving highly consistent following his win in yesterday's coastal race, scoring a 1-2 today carving out a clear lead for himself in the overall results ahead of Gildas Morvan on
Circle Verte. The second inshore race was won by Armel Le Cleach proving as he did in Marseilles that his forte are the 'banana' inshore courses.

While Le Cleach didn't do so well in the coastal race, he is now lying fifth behind last year's winner Jérémie Beyou and Erwan Tabarly who are separated by just one point.

"It was really shifty and unpredictably shifty," said British competitor Sam Davies. "We were okay and seemed to be making the right decisions but at the back you have to play the shifts dependent on where everyone else is going which can be frustrating."

Unhappy with her starts today, Davies concentrated on the set up of
Skandia to improve upwind performance: "We seem a bit slower than some others upwind, especially if its windy and there are waves," said Davies. "I was trying out different ways of trimming the boat like changing backstay tension and so on. Every incremental improvement feels just great and makes a huge difference to your morale, you just have to keep chipping away."

Following today's racing Skandia has moved up one place to 26th overall just behind Vendée Globe sailor Marc Thiercelin, after scoring a 23rd and 24th place.

Tomorrow the Figaro fleet leave Port Camargue for the second overnight offshore leg - a 190 mile race to Beaulieu. Heading eastwards will give the potential for more downwind/reaching sailing if the winds stays from the western sector.